Deputies: Man arrested after taking jacket from teen boy

ENGLEWOOD EAST, FL. - Charlotte County Sheriff's detectives arrested an Englewood East man for Robbery of a 16-year-old boy claiming the juvenile stole his camouflage jacket from his pickup on Feb. 4.

Arrested was 43-year-old John Richard Butler.

The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office received a call last Friday at 11:46 p.m. from the boy’s parents after their son said he left a friend’s house and was on his way home on his bicycle, when a man in a pickup stopped him, pushed him off his bicycle, straddled him, punching him in the face three to four times, then forcefully pulled the jacket off the boy and left.

The juvenile told detectives a silver Ford pick-up stopped in front of him near Rosemont Drive and Quarry Street and a man he does not know got out and asked where he got the jacket he was wearing. The man said it was stolen during a burglary of his pickup, and he wanted it back. The boy said he was just given the jacket to wear home from a friend’s house and didn’t know anything about the jacket being stolen.

A deputy located the pick-up in the same general area and made contact with Butler. Detectives said Butler said his neighbor advised him that a male riding a bicycle near Oceanspray Boulevard had his camouflaged jacket on. Butler said he got into his pick-up and located the boy. He said he got out of his pick-up and somehow fell on top of the male and couldn’t remember if he hit him or not. Butler said he was angry and was very upset, but never ripped the jacket off the boy by force. Butler said he never filed a police report for the burglary to his pickup and wasn’t sure why he didn’t contact CCSO concerning the incident with the boy on the bicycle.

Butler was arrested and transported to the Charlotte County Jail and posted a $20,000 bond Saturday. Detectives are continuing the investigation concerning the pickup burglary and theft of the stolen jacket.